“We played as a whole team,” Chanhassen coach Carly Goetz said. “Our defense set the precedent and the offense did their job.”

It took nearly 18 minutes for the Eagles (10-5, 5-1) to get on the board. But once Brinley Hopper made it 7-1, she scored three goals in just over a minute to make it 7-3. By halftime, Chanhassen’s lead was just 9-5.

“Our conditioning helps us have a little more juice in the tank at the end of the game,” Eden Prairie coach Brooke Jones said. “We told them that we needed to get back to our game and just needed to be determined.”

The Storm extended their lead back out to six early in the second half, but the Eagles did not back down. Hopper once again led the charge. She finished with a team-high seven goals in her final game as a high school lacrosse player.

“Brinley’s been our leader all season,” Jones said. “I’m proud of how she has pushed herself. She sets the tone for us offensively. When she leads with that strong example, it’s easy for everyone else to follow.”

Eden Prairie eventually tied the game at 14 with just over a minute left, thanks to Elyza Gengler. The Eagles then took the lead with 37 seconds remaining in regulation when Kaci Kotschevar-Call scored to make it 15-14 Eagles.

With 14 seconds left, Chanhassen got the tying goal to send the game to overtime as Nyen scored on a point-blank shot. 

The first overtime period was about the goalies as Chanhassen Katie Colleran stopped a big shot for one of her 10 saves. Eden Prairie’s Addy Badon stopped a foul shot to keep things even. Her and fellow netminder Katelyn Derosier combined to stop four shots in the game.

In the second overtime, Chanhassen broke the deadlock when Nyen fired a shot from about 15 yards away to beat Badon and send the Storm back to the state tournament for the second consecutive season.

“She is a star,” Goetz said of Nyen. “It’s something amazing as a coach when you’re not surprised when a player scores. It’s not a surprise. She works to be that good.”

Nyen’s goal denied Eden Prairie a chance at a comeback triumph and return to state for the first time since 2021. 

“I think if you look at the full spectrum of the season, there’s lots to be proud of,” Jones said. “It hurts right now that it ended this way. There’s still a lot for them to take away that was good.”

Meanwhile, Chanhassen heads to its second state tournament in school history. The Storm finished second in 2022, falling to Lakeville South in the championship game.

“I know we were meant to be here,” Goetz said. “It takes confidence and our mindset has to be to win every game.”